Thong (clothing)

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The thong, or "tanga" is an undergarment and swimwear, worn by women and men. The style characterized by a thin strip of material along the center of the garment’s back designed to sit between the wearer’s buttocks, connected directly to the bottom front of the garment and to both sides of the front at the top via a waistband.^[1] Basically, it is a narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the hips. At times the rear area became so narrow that it would disappear between the wearer's buttocks.

A similar item is the G-string, of which the back consists only of a string.^[2] The two terms G-string and Thong are often used interchangeably; however, they can refer to distinct pieces of clothing. A G-string is one variety of thongs. See the design and variety of thongs for details. Thongs come in a variety of styles depending on the thickness, material, or type of the rear portion of fabric and are available for both men and women throughout the world. It is known as the "fio dental" in Brazil.^[3] Since the thong is essentially a panty with a strap in the back, it is often called a T-back.

Contents 1 History 2 Design and variety 2.1 Thong and G-string 3 Thong varieties 3.1 Traditional thong 3.2 G string 3.3 V-string 3.4 T-back 3.5 C-string 3.6 Cheeky 3.7 Men’s thongs 4 Thongs and society 4.1 Controversy 5 See also 6 References

[edit] History

Thongs were first called V-strings. Thongs are descended from the earliest form of clothing, the loincloth, which were generally a male’s clothing item, the reverse of modern Western culture where the thong has more acceptance among women. It is thought that they were originally developed to protect or hide the male anatomy by primitive peoples. In modern clothing, thongs first became popular as a swimsuit style in Brazil. The origin of the word "thong" is from the Old English thwong, a flexible leather cord.^[4] G-string or thong is probably the earliest form of clothing known to mankind; having originated in the warmer climates of sub-Saharan Africa where clothing was first worn nearly 75,000 years ago. Many tribal peoples, such as some of the Khoisan people of southern Africa, wore thongs for many centuries. Much like the 2000-plus-year-old Japanese fundoshi, these early garments were made with the male genitalia in mind.

The first direct descendant of the loincloth, in the direction of thong, was the jockstrap, created by Chicago sporting goods company Sharp & Smith in 1874. The first historical reference to the thong in post-1900’s is in 1939 New York City when Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia ordered nude dancers to dress more appropriately. Jacques Heim’s and Loius Réard’s original bikini from 1946 — that introduced the term "bikini" — had a culotte with a thong back. Fashion designer Rudi Gernreich was credited with introducing the modern thong in 1974 which grew in popularity in South America, especially in Brazil.^[5] In the 1990s, the thong began to gain widespread acceptance and popularity in the United States, amounting for sales of more than $2 billion per year in 2006.^[6] The modern thong first gained mainstream popularity as swimwear in South America, particularly in Brazil in the 1970s.^{[citation needed]}

Attitudes to wearing G-strings vary, as is usual with highly revealing clothing. Prior to its entrance into mainstream fashion, G-strings were primarily worn by exotic dancers. In the modern Western world G-strings are more often worn by females. By the late 1980s, the design (for females) had made its way into most of the Western world, thong and G-string underwear became more and more popular through the 1990s due to shows like Baywatch, where numerous females were recorded wearing thong swimsuits. As of 2002^[update], G-string underwear was one of the fastest-selling styles among women. One advantage attributed to the wearing of G-string underwear is that no visible panty line can be seen even under a thin, light-colored or skin-tight garment. Although the popularity of wearing G-string underwear in America has taken off only in the last decade, in Europe it has been commonplace for many more years.

[edit] Design and variety

Types of string thongs

Back	Sides
	Strap	Tie	Strapless
T-back
G-string
V-string
C-string

Types of thongs include the traditional thong, the G-string, V-string, T-back and the C-string. In Australia the terms G-string and thong are both used, but the term thong usually refers to a kind of rubber footwear.

Many languages borrow the English word string to refer to this kind of underwear, usually without the G. Another common name is tanga or even a string tanga, especially in German. A frequent metaphor, especially in South America, is dental floss as in Spanish hilo dental or Portuguese fio dental. A Puerto-Rican Spanish slang term, used by Reggaeton artists, is gistro.

Sometimes the bareness of the buttocks is emphasized as in Spanish colaless, sometimes the T-like shape of the back. In Lithuanian it is "siaurikės" ("narrows"), Italian "perizoma", in Turkish "ipli külot" ("stringed underpants"), and in Bulgarian as "prashka" (slingshot). In Israel the thong, mostly the G-string, is called "Khutini" (חוטיני), from the word Khut, which means String. Similarly, in Iran, it is called "Shortbandi" (شورت بندی) in which "short" (from English: Shorts) means "briefs" and "bandi" means "with a string".

[edit] Thong and G-string

The name G-string is used interchangeably with the name thong, often for the same form of clothing. However, the G-string is only one form of the thong.

Encyclopedia of clothing and fashion by Valerie Steele (Charles Scribner's Sons; 2005) says: "The G-string, or thong, [is] a panty front with a half- to one-inch strip of fabric at the back that sits between the buttocks".^[7] Knickers: A Brief History by Sarah Tomczak, Rachel Pask (Allen & Unwin; 2004) says: "Minor tweaks to the cut earned these skimpy panties different titles — from the thong, which has a one-inch strip of fabric down AVPL is the underwear the back, to a G-string, which, as the name equivalent of Spanish suggests (hilo dental), is more like a string of fabric akin between the teeth."^[8] Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show by Rachel Shteir (Oxford University Press; 2004) says: "The thong [is] an undergarment derived from the stripper’s G-string".^[9] Americanisms: The Illustrated Book of Words Made in the USA by Gary Luke and Susan R. Quinn (Sasquatch Books; 2003) says: "G-string, noun: a thong panty consisting of a small triangular piece of fabric supported by two elastic straps. Attributed to strippers circa 1936".^[10] Heinemann English Dictionary by Martin Manser and Jessica Feinstein (Harcourt Heinemann; 2001) says: "Thong, noun: a pair of underpants or swimming costume in a very skimpy style like a G-string".^[11] The Guardian in an aritcle by Chris Alden says (29 May 2001): "But the thong wasn’t always so popular: in the old days it used to be called the G-string".^[12]

The origin of the term "G-string" is obscure. Since the 19th century the term geestring referred to the string which held the loincloth of American Indians ^[13] and later referred to the narrow loincloth itself. William Safire in his Ode on a G-String quoted the usage of the word "G-string" for loincloth by Harper's Magazine 15 years after Beadle's and suggested that the magazine confused the word with the musical term G-string (i.e., the string for the G note). Safire also mentions the opinion of linguist Robert Hendrickson that G (or gee) stands for groin, which was a taboo word at these times. ^[14]

[edit] Thong varieties

There are a number of intermediate kinds of thongs between full rear coverage and a string rear. Like the Thong, the G-string is essentially a bottom covering that covers the pubis and leaves the buttocks bared; The term G-string is generally used when the vertical strap in the rear of a G-string is no wider than a string.^[15] Other similar styles include the Brazilian, rio, and T-back (T-string). The naming of the intermediate styles of thong is debatable, different vendors use the words somewhat interchangeably.

Thongs are available in a wide variety of materials, including fleece, silk, cotton, microfiber, satin, nylon, lycra/spandex, and latex and are also available in maternity styles. There are many styles available:

[edit] Traditional thong

This style is generally the most common and involves a strip of fabric in varying widths on the rear of the garment connecting the front or pouch to the waistband.

[edit] G string

The G-string style consists of an elastic string - as opposed to a strip of fabric - connecting the front/pouch and the waistband in the rear. It is also called a Rio thong.^[16] Since the mid 1920s female strippers and erotic dancers in the west have been referring to the style of thongs they wore for their performances as G-strings. The origin of the term "G-string" is obscure. Since the 19th century the term geestring referred to the string which held the loincloth of American Indians ^[17] and later referred to the narrow loincloth itself. William Safire in his Ode on a G-String quoted the usage of the word "G-string" for loincloth by Harper's Magazine 15 years after Beadle's and suggested that the magazine confused the word with the musical term G-string (i.e., the string for the G note). Safire also mentions the opinion of linguist Robert Hendrickson that G (or gee) stands for groin, which was a taboo word at these times. ^[18] In Israel the G-string is called khutini (חוטיני), from the word Khut, which means String. In Lithuanian it is siaurikės ("narrows"), Italian perizoma, in Turkish ipli külot ("stringed underpants"), and in Bulgarian it is known as prashka ("slingshot"). A frequent metaphor, especially in South America, is dental floss as in Spanish hilo dental or Portuguese fio dental. A Puerto-Rican Spanish slang term, used by Reggaeton artists, is gistro. In Argentina the most common name for thongs is colaless or cola-less originated by an article publish by GENTE magazine in the 80's. The origin is probably connected to the term topless but in reference to cola (butt is spanish).

[edit] V-string

Similar to the G-string, this style connects via a single string along the rear that separates into two strings just at or before the waistband or into a small triangle of fabric above the buttocks but below the waistband can have tie sides like the T-back.

[edit] T-back

A thong that makes a straight line of a strip of garment in the back like the letter "T".^[16] The sound has been causing some confusion among Japanese speakers with a tea bag, which is also common in today’s Japanese dictionaries. In the dialects of Chinese language, the G-string is commonly called dingziku (丁字褲/丁字裤) which literally means "丁 character pants" (or roughly, "T-letter pants"). In Korean it is called 티팬티 ("T panty"). However, there are several usages of the term T-back in English as well (e.g. Children’s literature author E.L. Konigsburg’s T-backs, T-shirts, Coat and Suit).

[edit] C-string

As narrow as a G-string but without the band around the waist, leaving just a "C" shaped piece between the legs held in place firmly by a flexible internal frame.^[19][20] Since there is no material around the waist, the C-string completely eliminates the panty lines which thongs and other underwear create. C-strings are also designed for use as beachwear, which reduces the tan lines that would have been left by the side straps of even a G-string.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Cheeky

A more conservative style called a Cheeky covers a little more area, but exposes the bottom part of the buttocks. Some cheekies are used as undergarments while others function as bikini bottoms.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Men’s thongs

In the USA and Europe, the wearing of thongs by men was once mainly limited to the dance belt, the posing pouch for bodybuilders and the realm of male strippers. These days, men's thongs are more widely available to the general public and can be bought from department stores (Macy's, Dillard's, Kmart, etc.), some clothing stores and numerous online retailers.^[21] Thongs for men are cut differently from thongs for women, often having a partial or full vertical seam at the front of the garment to create a contoured pouch which accommodates the male genitalia. A Dance belt is a type of thong designed specifically to be used in the same manner as an athletic supporter but for male dancers, especially in ballet. Its purpose is to protect and support the dancer during athletic/dance activities without being seen through outer garments, such as tights or a leotard. Thongs tend to offer better support for the male anatomy than do other underwear styles, and is one of the reasons why men and boys may choose to wear them.^[22]

[edit] Thongs and society

The wearing of thong swimwear on the beach is fairly common in the Southern European countries and on the tropical beaches of South America and Florida. They are generally accepted or tolerated in most western countries, including most of Europe, North and South America, Australia, and parts of Asia. They are banned or highly discouraged in some places, including some Muslim countries such as Iran^[23][24] and Saudi Arabia^{[citation needed]}, but also in a few western locations such as Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA.^[25]. This kind of ban on thong wearing is known as a phalliban.

Huntington Beach, California passed an anti-nudity ordinance in 2007 that did not ban thongs.^[26][27] Councilman Don Hansen assured, “we remain thong-friendly in Huntington Beach.” ^[28]

Recent surveys place the number of American women who wear thongs as their preferred underwear style at 28%. While thongs are available for girls as young as eight years^[29] it is common for parents to not approve of girls wearing them until they reach their teens. Many reasons exist why women may choose to wear thong underwear or swimwear:^[30] prevention of visible panty lines^[31]; prevention of ride up so one needn't pull at one's underwear in public; comfort; fashion consciousness, including the feeling of being more adult; saving storage space during travels; and minimization of tan lines.

[edit] Controversy

Several institutions have banned thongs, mainly schools and universities.^[32][33][34] In one particular case in 2002, a female high school vice principal in San Diego physically checked up to 100 female students’ underwear^[35] as they entered the school for a dance, with or without student permission, causing an uproar among students and some parents and eliciting an investigation by the school into the vice principal’s conduct.^[36] In her defense, the vice principal said the checks were for student safety and not specifically because of the wearing of thongs (“This was a safety issue, it was not a choice of underwear issue”).^{[37][38][39][40][41][42]}

Of particular controversy is the retail by several outlets, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Argos, and Etam, of thongs for children as young as seven. A spokesman for Abercrombie & Fitch stated that he could list "at least 100 reasons why a young girl would want thong underwear."^[30] This controversy spawned a great deal of free publicity for Abercrombie, including a chain letter that received wide circulation.^[43] Media attention was drawn to the phenomenon when a British primary head teacher voiced concerns that pupils as young as 10 were wearing thong underwear to school.^[44]

Some gynecologists report anecdotally that thongs can cause health problems in regular wearers, including urinary tract and vaginal infections. "Thongs are harmful because they irritate and inflame the area around the Bartholin’s glands, which produce lubricant during intercourse. If the ducts that lead to the glands get hemmed, you could also develop a cyst next to your vagina. Simply put, thongs irritate the vagina and not allowing it enough air or space. Thongs can also cause small lacerations which can invite infections. Worse, the small string on a thong allows the anus and vagina to be connected with each other. The thong as a link will carry bacteria from the rectum straight to the vagina. Bacteria such as group B Streptococcal disease and E.coli can be passed into both the anus and vagina."^[45]

[edit] See also

Look up thong in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Thongs

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: G-string

• Beachwear
• Bikini
• Bodysuit
• Fundoshi
• Speedo (suit style)
• Undergarment
• G-string
• Jockstrap
• Dance belt
• Social impact of thong underwear

[edit] References

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